A Little Slice Of Earth
by crais's-lady
Summary: Crichton's cousin shows up looking for him and winds up falling in love with his nemesis Captain Bialar Crais. Please read and review. Thanks.
1. Prologue

A Little Slice Of Earth  
  
(a Farscape FanFic by Beth A. Carpenter)  
  
(Authors disclaimer: The characters of Farscape belong to Henson Productions. I just borrowed them for a short time.)  
  
(Authors note: This story takes place approximately six months after the episode "Fractures". Please keep in mind that what happens here is all my own. Who knows where the show will actually take us!)  
  
(Dedication: I am still fairly new to the Farscape universe and I get ribbed about my fascination with Crais all the time. But, three people pushed me over the edge into Farscape madness. This story is for them: Amber, the sister of my heart; Joe, the best verbal sparing partner I have ever had; and Kathryn, my loving niece who I have been writing for since she was born. Amber, Joe and Kat, thanks for all the continuing love and support. Beth.)  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Crichton was dreaming. Dreaming of ice cream and sand beneath his bare feet. Dreaming of walking down the boardwalk of any beach and just watching the sun sink below the horizon. Not any sun on any planet. The sun that the planet Earth revolved around. The planet that gave him birth.  
  
A figure stepped up to him, a young woman that shared the same vivid blue eyes with him that no one else had. Her short brown hair curled around her neck and even though she only reached his chin, she was as tough as they came. "So, tomorrow's the big day, huh?"  
  
"Yup. The Farscape is primed and ready. It will be interesting to see how the module performs." Crichton looked down at her. "NASA has high hopes for it Morgan. It could change space travel for all time."  
  
Morgan nodded. "I know. I just.I don't know. I'm still not happy about the propulsion system and the way the fuel is mixing and."  
  
Crichton laughed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "There's that system engineer sneaking back out. You worry too much, Morgan. The Farscape will work out fine. What could go wrong?"  
  
1 Go wrong.wrong.wrong.  
  
Crichton sat straight up in bed, slightly disoriented. He slowed his breathing down and looked around. Aeryn still lay beside him, her breathing soft and even. Crichton stood up and walked over to the view port. Talyn still floated beside Moya. The young Leviathan ship was dark and quiet, as Moya was. He turned and slid back in bed, curling his body around Aeryn's.  
  
"It was just a dream, you stupid yotz," he whispered to himself. "Just a dream."  
  
Copyright 2001 Beth A. Carpenter 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One  
  
Captain Morgan Langtree ran through the final system's check, flipping the last lever above her head. She hoped the payload she was carrying wasn't too heavy. She chuckled to herself. If she was successful in her mission, it wouldn't matter. The load would be split between two ships. Morgan flipped the comm button. "Langtree to Houston Control. I'm all set on this end."  
  
1 "Houston Control to space module Osiris, we have launch in T minus 10."  
  
Morgan lowered the visor on her helmet and double-checked the straps on her command chair.  
  
"9."  
  
She pushed the Def Leppard CD into the slot, fast-forwarding the tracks to "Rocket."  
  
"8."  
  
She caressed the Celtic knot pendant beneath her flight suit.  
  
"7.6."  
  
As the primary jets fired, Morgan hit the play button, Def Leppard nearly drowning out the countdown.  
  
"5.4."  
  
The secondary jets fired, building, smoke billowing from the large rockets. She wrapped her hands tightly around the controls.  
  
"3.2."  
  
"Liftoff," she whispered, feeling the ship break from the moorings and start to rise into Earth's atmosphere. The vibrations caused her teeth to chatter as the sleek, modified shuttle rose into the multi-colored sky of dawn. She felt the rockets break away and the Osiris rocketed out of the blue and into the black of space starting it's mission: to bring home missing NASA Commander John Crichton.  
  
Or to strand Captain Morgan Langtree with him.  
  
  
  
"Okay, let's see what we've got," Morgan said to herself as she floated through the shuttle, flipping levers, turning knobs, tweaking systems. She settled back in the command chair, watching as the information scrolled by on the screen. Morgan tapped her foot to the Sarah McLachlan CD she had put in. ".have nothing to give.mmmmm.have nothing to ." She sat up and stopped singing, smiling to herself as she adjusted her scanners, peering out of the cockpit into the stars around her. "Uh-huh. There you are." She watched as the anomaly grew, a radiation wave that started as a faint red swirl and then changed to blue, growing larger, its mass gaining strength. Morgan switched the shuttles control back to manual, pulling the Osiris away from the growing wormhole.  
  
"Oh shit." The controls were frozen, the Osiris slipping closer and closer to the blue swirls. Morgan strapped herself in as the shuttle began to rock, throttling the thrusters into full reverse. The ship shuddered as it tried to break free of the wormholes gravitational pull, slowly shutting systems down one by one. "I don't think so!" Morgan yelled, trying futilely to gain control of her ship. She squinted as the ship moved closer and closer to the wormhole, throwing her arms over her face as it exploded, sucking in the Osiris and disappearing.  
  
  
  
Captain Bialar Crais marched up the corridor trying to wake up. It was not like Talyn to wake him so abruptly. He walked onto the command deck. "Calm down," Crais commanded. He gazed out the view port, noticing the strange lights begin to dance before the ship. "Talyn, get us the frell out of here!"  
  
The Osiris blasted through the anomaly, barely missing Talyn as it zoomed past. The wormhole closed as Talyn came around, Crais holding on to the console for dear life. When the young Leviathan ship finally stopped, Crais stared in disbelief at the ship drifting before them. He shook his head. "Not another one." He watched, waiting, as Talyn scanned the ship. "Bring it aboard. Then we'll find Moya."  
  
  
  
Morgan lowered the Osiris' ramp, and slowly walked down it, her 9mm in her hand. She peered around the edge, then back in the other direction. "Okay, somebody has got to be on this thing."  
  
"Who were you looking for?" Crais asked from behind her.  
  
Morgan whirled around, both hands on the grip of her pistol. "Right. Somebody is here." She moved toward Crais. "I don't know who you are or whether or not you even understand me, but I am looking for Commander John Crichton."  
  
Crais backed up, his hands up in a sign of surrender, wondering why he didn't grab his pulse pistol. "I understand you. And Crichton is not here."  
  
"What?!" Morgan yelled. She grabbed a hold of Crais' jacket, slamming him against the Osiris, her pistol to his head. "Look buddy, if you understand me, nod once."  
  
Crais nodded, surprised by Morgan's strength. She stood only up to his chin, with short brown hair, curling around her neck. Blue eyes like Crichton's bore into him.  
  
"You understand me. Good. If you don't want me to blow your head off, you'll take me to Crichton. You do know him, right?"  
  
Crais nodded, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.  
  
Morgan backed away and up into the Osiris. "Good! Tell him Captain Morgan Langtree is here!" she yelled. She leaned against the bulkhead as the ship sealed back up, her heart racing as she threw the pistol across the shuttle. Morgan closed her eyes. "Good thing I didn't need to use it," she muttered. "Leave it to NASA to forget the ammo."  
  
  
  
"She refuses to talk to anyone but you," Crais snapped. He looked at Crichton's image in the clamshell, his arms folded, a look of pure annoyance on his face.  
  
Crichton stood there in shock. "Did she.did she tell you her name?"  
  
"She claims her name is Captain Morgan Langtree," Crais answered.  
  
"Captain?" Crichton's mouth dropped open. "Morgan is a Captain?"  
  
"Who is she John?" Aeryn asked quietly as she stepped up behind him.  
  
Crichton peered over his shoulder at her. "She's my cousin. Morgan helped me design the propulsion system for the Farscape."  
  
  
  
Crichton couldn't get off the transport pod fast enough, picking his feet up and sliding down the stairs, landing on Talyn's deck at a full run, Aeryn not far behind him. He saw the Osiris' ramp lower, slowing down as a pair of blue jean clad legs appeared. "Morgan!"  
  
Morgan turned at her cousin's voice. "John!"  
  
Crichton caught her as she ran towards him, swinging her around in glee as if she weighed no more than rag doll. "What are you doing here?" he fairly screamed.  
  
"Coming after you, you moron!" She held Crichton at arms length. "You look good for someone who is believed to be dead more than three years."  
  
Crichton shrugged, his grin growing. "Been through hell and back, but I'm okay."  
  
Crais leaned in the hangar doorway, getting his second good look at Morgan. "Crichton, Talyn is picking up a signal. We need to starburst out of here."  
  
"Then let's get going. Aeryn and I will stay on board for now," Crichton answered, never turning to look at Crais.  
  
"You understand him?" Morgan said, the expression on her face one of confusion as she pointed to Crais' retreating back.  
  
Crichton nodded. "Yeah. They have these things here called translator microbes, little organic."  
  
Morgan's yelp cut her cousin off. She looked down at the DRD that was rolling away. "That damn thing bit me!" Morgan accused. She looked at Crichton, momentarily dizzy and shook her head.  
  
The woman that had arrived with him stepped forward. "No, it didn't bite you. It injected you with the translator microbes John was telling you about." She looked at Crichton. "Crais must have instructed it to do so." She held out her hand. "Aeryn Sun."  
  
Morgan took Aeryn's hand, shaking it. "Morgan Langtree." She turned back to her cousin. "Farscape functional?"  
  
"It needs work."  
  
Morgan nodded. "Well, we should have it up and running before long. Then we can go home." She noticed the look that passed briefly between Crichton and Aeryn. "Okay, warning bells are ringing here. You don't want to go home?"  
  
Aeryn cleared her throat. "I'll go see if Crais and Talyn need any help," she remarked, leaving the landing bay.  
  
Morgan looked at Crichton, then at Aeryn's back as she walked away. "Oh.it's okay. I.uh.understand." She held up a hand as Crichton began to say something. "What do you want me to tell Uncle Jack?"  
  
Crichton turned Morgan to face him. "You can't go back either. The wormhole doesn't work that way," he said softly. "Believe me, I've tried."  
  
She looked at Crichton, her blue eyes meeting his in understanding and resignation. "I suspected as much when I volunteered for the mission." She smiled, turning back to the Osiris, Crichton's hand in hers. "Must not be all that bad, though."  
  
"This place has its moments."  
  
Morgan laughed. "I can tell." She shrugged. "Oh well. But hey, at least I found you. Now I can give you all the goodies I brought."  
  
  
  
Crichton saw the wide-eyed wonder on Morgan's face as he gave her the tour through Talyn. The last stop was the bridge and he walked through the door, his arm around her shoulders. "Hey Captain Crunch. Want to give her the tour of the command deck?"  
  
Crais turned and scowled at Crichton. "You've done such a good job so far, why don't you continue?" His brown eyes shot daggers at Crichton.  
  
Morgan could feel the tension between the two men and she approached Crais, using her best crisis management tone of voice. "Because you are the Captain of this ship and it's your job to show me around the command deck," she answered, looking up at him. "By the way, I'm sorry about the whole pistol incident yesterday."  
  
Crais glanced over Morgan's head at Crichton, who rolled his eyes. He took Morgan's hand. "Bialar Crais, in case Crichton over there didn't tell you."  
  
Morgan smiled. "No. That seemed to slip his mind." She let Crais lead her over to the command console and she found herself getting absorbed in the intricate systems of the gunship.  
  
Crichton looked at Aeryn. "This is not good. He's hitting on my cousin and she is just eating it up like a Big Mac."  
  
Aeryn smiled, her dark eyebrows rising. "Hitting on?"  
  
"Flirting. Showing interest. You know, what we did for over two years before finally admitting we were in love," he drawled, leaning over her and kissing her nose.  
  
Aeryn nudged Crichton. "Stop it. Once she gets to know him, she won't want anything to do with him." Morgan's laugh made Aeryn pause and they both looked at Crais and Morgan. "Then again."  
  
  
  
"And this is Moya, Talyn's mother. He's a hybrid between Moya and a Peacekeeper gunship," Crichton said, sounding like a proud parent.  
  
Morgan ran her hand down Moya's living bulkhead. "Bio-mechanoid? John this is.wow!" She looked at him. "Who are the Peacekeepers?"  
  
Crichton looked a little uncomfortable at her question. "The Peacekeepers are the local military. Both Crais and Aeryn were once part of them." He glanced at her. "Pretty impressive huh?" He continued up the corridor towards the command deck. "They're called Leviathans. Moya has a symbiotic relationship with a being named Pilot."  
  
"Pilot?"  
  
"Yeah. He's cool. You'll like him. He helps with Moya's systems and controls." Crichton held his arm out, allowing Morgan to proceed into the command area before him.  
  
She stopped in her tracks, staring at the blue humanoid bent over a console, arguing with a tall, strange looking alien and another light gray skinned woman. "Well, there's no doubt that we are not alone in this universe." The blue humanoid looked up at Morgan's voice, the others falling silent. She noticed another alien standing to one side, a metal mask covering half his face.  
  
"Zhaan, D'Argo, Chiana, Stark, this is my cousin Morgan, fresh in from the Milky Way," Crichton introduced.  
  
Zhaan and D'Argo exchanged a quick glance and approached them. "Welcome Morgan," Zhaan said softly, smiling at her.  
  
"Thank you." She gazed at the Delvian. "You are beautiful," she blurted out. Crichton had told her of Zhaan, recently returned to them after Moya's crew assumed her to be dead.  
  
Zhaan dipped her head in thanks. "Crichton told us you were sent to rescue him."  
  
Morgan nodded. "Looks more like I'm stranded with him."  
  
"Is that a problem?" D'Argo asked.  
  
Morgan looked up at the tall Luxan. "Actually, no. I was prepared for that possibility when I took on the mission." She shrugged as she ran her fingers through her hair. "And to be honest, part of me was hoping I would be."  
  
"Stranded here?"  
  
Morgan turned at Crais' voice. "Yes." Aeryn had followed him into command.  
  
"You've always been the adventurer," Crichton teased. He noticed the look of exhaustion that came over her face. "And you have just run out steam."  
  
"It's been a long couple of days." She gazed at Crichton. "But now that I've found you and know you're alive, I can get some shut eye." She gazed at the others. "Is there someplace I can rest? The Osiris is not exactly comfortable."  
  
"You are more than welcome to remain on Talyn. I have more than enough room to accommodate you," Crais offered.  
  
"I don't think so, Crais," John jumped in.  
  
Morgan crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side. "Why?"  
  
Aeryn saw the look of annoyance cross Crichton's face. She stepped up to Morgan. "You can rest in my quarters."  
  
"Or mine," Chiana added. The others watched silently, interested in the battle of wills that had ensued.  
  
"Thanks, but if Crais has the room, that's fine with me. I'm not going to put anybody out and I really need to stay near the Osiris," Morgan answered. She turned on Crichton. "What's with you anyway John?"  
  
"Commander Crichton does not trust me," Crais supplied.  
  
"Damn skippy," Crichton added.  
  
"Sounds like a personal problem to me," Morgan quipped, her arms dropping to her sides. She patted Crichton's cheek. "I'm a big girl. I can take of myself." She kissed his cheek and took leave of the others.  
  
Crichton grabbed Crais' arm. "If anything happens to her." he warned.  
  
Crais' eyes narrowed at him as he looked from the hand on his arm back to Crichton's face. "Don't worry, Crichton. Nothing has happened to her yet." He jerked his arm from Crichton's grip, turning on one heel to follow Morgan back to the landing bay.  
  
Crichton stared at Crais until he rounded the corridor. "Yeah. That's what I'm afraid of."  
  
  
  
Crais quietly watched as Morgan tore apart a container from the Osiris and open a carton, drinking from it. "Couldn't sleep?"  
  
She jumped and turned towards him, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "New place," she answered apologetically. "I didn't mean to wake you."  
  
Crais nodded as he moved towards her. "You didn't. Talyn did. He was concerned. We are not used to having company."  
  
Morgan's eyebrows rose. "He was concerned about me? That's awful sweet of him." She put the container back. "I.uh.hate to admit this, but I also couldn't find my quarters."  
  
Crais looked around before answering. "Talyn is still growing, but I imagine his size can be overwhelming." They started back up the corridor.  
  
"How do you communicate with him?" Morgan asked.  
  
Crais stopped walking and lifted his ponytail. "It's a neural interface transponder. We have been linked since shortly after he was born."  
  
Morgan stared at the transponder blinking at the base of Crais' neck. She wondered how it worked. She reached out to touch it, jerking her hand back when he abruptly turned around. "Does it hurt?"  
  
Crais shook his head. "Only when it was first inserted. Talyn was designed to work with one person, but two people can join together and control him." He folded his hands behind his back and began to walk back up the corridor, Morgan falling into step beside him. "It has its occasional disadvantages."  
  
Morgan thought about it for a moment, her mind churning at the possibilities. "Let me see if I understand this. You're linked to Talyn through a cybernetic neural transponder, allowing the two of you to communicate through the link and to facilitate the running of systems by a single crew member."  
  
Crais' eyebrows rose. "Precisely."  
  
Morgan stopped. "So then I would have to guess that if one of you gets sick or injured, it could affect the other."  
  
Crais smiled at her. "You have an astute grasp of how the technology works." He waved his hand over a panel, the door to Morgan's quarters opening.  
  
"Thank you, Captain Crais."  
  
Crais' smile had never wavered. "You may call me Bialar if you wish."  
  
Morgan blushed and looked away briefly. "Good night Bialar."  
  
He remained outside of her door for a moment after it closed behind her. "I concur, Talyn. She is nothing like Crichton."  
  
  
  
The next morning, Crichton found his cousin head first in a panel on the Osiris, the only thing sticking out being her jean-clad legs. Metallica played from a small CD player by her toolbox, echoing across the bay. He walked up behind her, grabbing her ankle and tickling the back of her leg.  
  
"Hey! Let go! Dammit!" Morgan wiggled in Crichton's grasp, trying to back out of the panel. "Ow!" She squirmed the rest of the way out, rubbing her head. "You creep!" she laughed.  
  
Crichton looked at the cut on her forehead. "Sorry 'bout that." He handed her a clean rag from her box. "Where's Captain Crunch?"  
  
Morgan dabbed the cut, staring at her cousin. "You mean Bialar? He's on the bridge I believe." She tucked the rag in her pocket, turning to carefully pack away her tools.  
  
Crichton jumped up on one of the unloaded containers. "So you're on a first name basis? You haven't been here two days." He threw his hands in the air. "Next thing you'll be telling me is that the two of you have been recreating together!" he yelled.  
  
Morgan looked at him from her bent over position. "Recreating?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah, you know. Knocking boots, rolling in the hay, sinking the pink, getting frelling jiggy with it!" He had hopped off the container, his blue eyes flashing.  
  
Morgan wiped her hands on her jeans. "Did I miss a meeting? Did someone forget to leave the memo on my desk?" she asked confused, picking up a clean cloth to finish wiping her hands. "Jeez John. The last time I checked I hadn't made it a habit to jump into bed with every guy that looked my way."  
  
Crichton crossed his arms, a smug look on his face. "What about that one guy? What was his name?" He snapped his fingers as he tried to remember. "Steve.Steve."  
  
Morgan raised her eyebrows. "Steve Ramson?"  
  
"Yeah." Crichton pointed at her. "Him."  
  
"We had been dating for two years. What is it with you?"  
  
Crichton sighed. "I just don't want to see you get hurt, Morgan. And Crais is not the guy for you."  
  
Morgan laughed. "I don't even know him yet!"  
  
"And you don't need to. I want you to move onto Moya," he said.  
  
Morgan threw down the cloth she had been holding. "You told me there was no room on Moya."  
  
"I'll move in with Aeryn."  
  
"No."  
  
"You're moving."  
  
"No." Morgan closed the toolbox and turned off the radio.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
She stood up, her hands on her hips as she got into her cousin's face. "No. You cannot make me."  
  
"Watch me. You're going to Moya and that's it. End of discussion." He turned away, heading towards the entrance to the bay.  
  
Morgan followed him, her anger flaring. "Who died and left you in charge?"  
  
Crichton whirled around, staring down at her. "No one. But as long as you're here, which will probably be until we both croak, you are not staying with Crais."  
  
Morgan crossed her arms, a look of defiance on her face. "Maybe I want to stay here," she simply replied. "I think I'm old enough to make that decision."  
  
Crichton stepped back, regarding Morgan. "Oh, you would. Tall, dark, brooding and moody as hell, that's the way you've always liked them. I'm telling you Morgan, you're." Crichton was cut off.  
  
"Commander Crichton, you may want to come to the bridge," Crais' voice said over the comm.  
  
"Not now Crais. I'm busy!"  
  
Crais had heard every word of the conversation between Morgan and Crichton. He had to admit she was full of fire and the last thing he wanted was for her to move onto Moya. "Talyn has picked up a Peacekeeper signal."  
  
"So?" Crichton stared at Morgan.  
  
"It's Scorpius."  
  
Crichton turned on one foot, heading to the bridge, Morgan right on his tail. "Right. That changes everything."  
  
"Who's Scorpius?"  
  
Crichton waved his hand over the panel that opened the bridge doors. "Our worst nightmare."  
  
"And this changes everything because." Morgan continued, her eyes meeting Crais' briefly.  
  
"Scorpy is a Peacekeeper scientist who thinks I know some wonderful secret about how wormholes work and don't work," he answered. "And he has been after me hot and heavy ever since he found out about me, thanks to Captain Courageous here." He shot Crais a look. "It changes everything because Talyn has enough fire power to blow his ass away."  
  
Crais stood in the middle of the command deck quietly listening. "Crichton, if Scorpius has found out about Morgan."  
  
Crichton whirled on him. "What'd you do? Call him?" he accused.  
  
"I dislike him as much as you do," Crais answered calmly.  
  
"John, I'm on my way over to Talyn." Aeryn's voice resounded through the bridge comm. "Moya is preparing to starburst to safety."  
  
Crais looked at Crichton. "If he thinks you're on Moya, we may have a chance."  
  
"And if he doesn't fall for it?" Morgan asked.  
  
"Then we are in for one hell of a long fight," Crichton answered.  
  
Crais turned abruptly towards a console. "How long?" He waited as Talyn answered him, the look on his face growing darker.  
  
"What?" Morgan moved towards Crais.  
  
"Talyn has analyzed the signal. Scorpius is with a retrieval squad." Crais looked up at the circular ceiling, concentrating on the information Talyn was feeding him. "Officer Sun, are you on board?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Talyn, initiate starburst now!" Crais commanded.  
  
The young Leviathan gunship took off like a shot just as the Peacekeeper cruiser appeared.  
  
  
  
Crais paced the darkened bridge, lost in thought as Talyn slowly orbited an uninhabited planet that had a heavy cloud covering. The Peacekeeper retrieval squad had called their bluff, following Talyn. The Leviathan had voluntarily shut down most of his systems, minimizing the chance of detection. He checked the console again. A movement at the corner of Crais' eye made him turn. "Morgan," he simply stated.  
  
"Hi. I.uh.couldn't sleep and thought maybe you'd like some company." She handed him a mug containing a deep brown brew, steam wafting from the liquid inside. "It's called coffee."  
  
Crais hesitantly took the mug, sipping the coffee. He grimaced slightly. "Interesting."  
  
Morgan chuckled. "It's an acquired taste." She sat at one of the consoles. "Aeryn told me why you and my cousin don't get along. And I can understand his point of view." She sipped her coffee. "I would really like to hear your side of the story."  
  
Crais stared at Morgan, her blue eyes showing genuine interest. "Don't be so sure of that," he remarked quietly. "You may not like what you hear."  
  
Morgan sat her mug down and walked over, looking up at him. "Why does everyone want to tell me what to do?" She crossed her arms. "I think that's for me to decide."  
  
"Really? Why?" His eyes bore into hers.  
  
Morgan didn't back down. "Because if I am to spend the rest of my life here, then I want to know the people who are to become my new family. Is that a good enough reason for you?" She watched the expression on his face change from suspicion to curiosity. "Everyone has two sides, Bialar," she whispered.  
  
The way she said his name coaxed Crais into action. He laid his hands on her shoulders, his lips meeting hers fast and furious, never giving Morgan a chance to protest. He let her go, stepping away from her as if she had branded him. "Just remember Morgan, when I tell you my side of the story, you were the one who asked me to tell you. Not the other way around," he said quietly, his already rough voice even rougher. He marched off the bridge, leaving Morgan staring after him.  
  
She licked her lips, the taste of him lingering there as her heart pounded. "You may be right, Crais," she whispered to herself.  
  
The ship rocked beneath her and the two mugs slid off the console. Morgan caught one, the other shattering as it hit the deck. A noise she had never heard before, an odd chirping sound, echoed through the bridge as all of the systems suddenly flared to life. Morgan turned and looked out the view port, the other mug sliding from her fingers. Before them, hanging in the atmosphere, was the Peacekeeper cruiser. "Crais?" Morgan called, turning. She nearly slammed into him as she started off the bridge.  
  
Crais laid a hand on her shoulder steadying her. "Listen to me. Get Crichton and stay out of sight," he commanded.  
  
Morgan nodded, not in the mood to argue with someone who had far more experience with the overwhelming sight outside. "Now I know how Princess Leia must've felt," she murmured to herself as she ran to Crichton's quarters.  
  
  
  
"Scorpy! Long time no see," Crichton said, staring at Scorpius on the clamshell. "What brings you to my little corner of the Uncharted Territories?"  
  
"You do, John. You have something I want," Scorpius replied.  
  
Crichton made an annoying buzzer sound. "Wrong answer Leatherface. I like what's left of my brain where it is. So blow it out your ass!"  
  
"Then maybe your cousin Morgan would be willing to talk to me," Scorpius remarked.  
  
Crichton glared at Crais. "You did call him, you piece of dren."  
  
Scorpius actually laughed. "Unfortunately, Captain Crais is not at fault. We picked up Talyn's transmission announcing Captain Langtree's arrival." He tsked, tsked at them. "It's amazing how one can pick apart a secure transmission."  
  
Crichton looked at Crais. "So shoot me."  
  
"Don't tempt me," Crais answered.  
  
Scorpius cleared his throat. "Gentlemen, such hostility. Now, about Captain Langtree."  
  
Copyright 2001 Beth A. Carpenter 


	3. Chapter Two

1.1 Chapter TWO  
  
"Why does this guy Scorpius want to talk to me?" Morgan asked.  
  
Aeryn and Crichton sat around the table in Talyn's kitchen. Crais, as always, paced the room. The transponder at the back of his neck blinked in time with his steps. "Scorpius obviously believes you know something that your cousin does not. You are the only other human that we know of that has successfully traversed a wormhole," Crais answered.  
  
Scorpius had given them three arns to hand over Morgan. Talyn had aimed all the firepower he had available on the cruiser, starting a standoff. Crichton looked at Morgan. "What did you do to trigger the wormhole?" He sipped the cup of coffee Morgan had made him, enjoying the flavor of the brew.  
  
She shook her head. "Nothing. " She stood up and rubbed her temples. "All I did was take the Osiris out to the area you disappeared at. I started running some scans and tests and it didn't take long before something happened." She let her hands drop. "As a matter of fact, I don't remember what happened between the time the wormhole sucked me through to the time I woke on the Osiris after Crais and Talyn rescued the ship."  
  
Crais had stopped pacing, one arm folded over his chest, his left hand tapping his lips in thought. "Crichton said you helped design the propulsion system on his Farscape module. Did you make any changes to the system on the Osiris?"  
  
Morgan thought about it. "No. I used the same schematics John used when they built the Farscape."  
  
"Something had to set the wormhole off," Aeryn commented. She looked at Crichton. "I can't believe you are at a loss for ideas."  
  
Crichton shrugged. "I'm stumped, Aeryn." He looked back at Morgan. "You recorded everything that happened, right?" She nodded. "Maybe we can find something on the tapes. Crais, come on. I can use your unique point of view." The two men left the kitchen, leaving Morgan and Aeryn alone.  
  
"Did you talk to Crais?" Aeryn asked quietly. She had noticed the tension between Morgan and the Captain, and was thankful Crichton hadn't.  
  
Morgan regarded Aeryn for a moment, sitting across from her. "We talked briefly. He was insistent on knowing why I wanted his side of the story."  
  
"What did he tell you?"  
  
Morgan's eyes met Aeryn's. "He warned me that I might not like what I hear."  
  
Aeryn's expression grew grim. "He's right, Morgan." She stood up. "Be wary of Crais. Both of us were at one time highly trained Peacekeepers and Crais was part of an elite group. He has his own agenda, but frell if any of us has figured out what it is." Aeryn left, leaving Morgan to consider her warning.  
  
  
  
"There has got to be something here," Crichton mumbled to himself as he reviewed the Osiris' system logs. They had an arn left and he was not about to give Morgan up to Scorpius. For that matter, he wasn't about to let her set foot on the command deck as long as he was around.  
  
Aeryn slipped into the shuttle. Crais was reviewing the anomaly logs. "Anything?"  
  
Crais looked at her. "Not yet. Talyn and I have been comparing both incidents. So far, they are identical."  
  
"I don't profess to know how this works, but that doesn't seem right," she commented.  
  
"It's right if it's a stable wormhole," Crichton called. He walked from the cockpit. "And somehow, I don't think that's possible. Hell, it wasn't even possible on 'Star Trek'."  
  
Crais leaned away from the monitor. "We have to keep Scorpius from taking anymore interest in this matter than he already has. Morgan can not be allowed to speak with him."  
  
Crichton looked at him. "What's it to you? What's this sudden interest in Morgan's and my well-being?" He moved towards Crais.  
  
"John, Crais is right. We need to get out of here, away from Scorpius," Aeryn interjected before the two men could start their usual arguing.  
  
Morgan chose that moment to walk onto the shuttle. She saw Crichton and Crais squaring off and sighed. "Look, just tell this Scorpius to go fly a broom and get out of here. If Talyn can blow him to bits, why doesn't he just do it?"  
  
The ship shuddered slightly around them as Morgan spoke. Crais looked at them. "Talyn has just broken orbit." He glanced at Morgan as he pushed his way down the ramp. The ship rocked as the cruiser fired on them. "Talyn, what are you doing?" The ship refused to answer Crais and he slid to a stop on the bridge. "Talyn, you must listen to me. This will not help any of us!"  
  
A bolt of energy blew across Talyn's bow as the gunship initiated starburst, the star lines blurring around them. Crais went down to his knees, a scream escaping his lips as he blacked out.  
  
  
  
"Where are we?" Crais asked. His voice was hoarse, his head throbbing. He couldn't feel Talyn and he reached back to the transponder.  
  
"Looking for this?" Morgan asked, holding the other part of the transponder in her hand.  
  
"What have you done?" Crais snapped, reaching for the transponder.  
  
Morgan closed her hand around it. "Aeryn pulled it. Privacy mode, huh? I suppose you've been listening in on my conversations with my cousin," she commented, laying the transponder on the console. She turned back to Crais, a cool cloth in her hand. She sat on the bed, laying it on his head. "It'll help the headache."  
  
Crais laid back on the bed. "I have not been eavesdropping on you, Morgan." He closed his eyes.  
  
"Want to tell me what happened back there?"  
  
Crais opened his eyes. "Talyn was.trying to.protect you."  
  
Morgan nodded. "And he thought that by knocking you for a loop would help? He has a wicked sense of humor."  
  
"Talyn is very stubborn and very strong. There.are times." Crais paused, closing his eyes. ".when he is too strong for me to control him."  
  
"Crichton and Aeryn told me what happened the last time. Cybernetic feedback."  
  
Crais nodded. "It is worse now than ever before."  
  
Morgan leaned a knee on the bed. "Why?"  
  
Crais struggled to sit up. He caught the cloth as it fell and gazed at Morgan. "Did Aeryn tell you what happened with her mother?"  
  
"Part of it." Her expression was blank, showing no emotion as she waited.  
  
Crais nodded, wishing he hadn't. "When I helped Talyn repair the damage she had caused, part of my psyche melded with his." He took Morgan's hand. "He.sensed that I wanted to.protect you." Crais let go of her hand, falling back onto the pillows.  
  
Morgan took the cloth, rewetting it and laying it back on his forehead. "Get some rest. We'll discuss this later." She slipped out of Crais' quarters, heading for the bridge. She was bound and determined to converse with the stubborn gunship.  
  
  
  
"What the frell is that noise?" Aeryn asked as she stepped from the shower out into the quarters she was sharing with Crichton.  
  
"This? This is the Beatles." He looked at the CD case. "Morgan told me George Harrison died. I guess they'll never get back together now."  
  
Aeryn sat on the bed, pulling her clothes on. Crichton pulled her against him before she got very far. "What are you doing?"  
  
Crichton kissed the soft spot between her neck and shoulder. "Well, since we managed to flee from Harvey, I thought maybe we could just spend a bit of quiet time together. Whatcha think?"  
  
Aeryn turned her head and kissed Crichton. "What about your cousin and Crais?" she asked between kisses.  
  
"Captain Crunch is down for awhile, so Morgan should be fine." He pulled her back, shifting on the bed. "Besides, I think she's a bit annoyed with him." Crichton pulled his shirt off, leaning over Aeryn to lay a kiss on her stomach.  
  
The Beatles sang about Strawberry Fields as Crichton and Aeryn made love, neither one of them noticing Morgan slipping past their quarters, the extra transponder she had found in Crais' quarters in her hand.  
  
  
  
Morgan stood on the gunship's bridge, studying the consoles before her. "Cybernetic feedback, huh, Talyn? That's not very nice." The ship chirped at her. "Like I know what you're saying," she mumbled. She turned and sat down at one of the command consoles, her small toolkit opened up next to the transponder. "You know, I appreciate you wanting to help Crais protect me, but, as I keep telling everyone.oh, never mind. This is your part of the galaxy, not mine.yet."  
  
She popped open the casing of the transponder, studying the internal workings. She had completed a degree in cybernetics, a little piece of information she hadn't had time to share with Crichton. "You know, if we tweak this system a little bit, the physical symptoms Bialar feels should be minimized substantially. How do you feel about that?" Talyn chirped again. Morgan looked up at the ceiling. "Okay, dim once for yes, twice for no." The lights dimmed once. "So then we are in agreement?" Talyn dipped the lights once again. "Good. If this works, then I can fix Bialar's too." The lights dimmed again.  
  
A small DRD rolled in moments later, bumping against Morgan's foot. She looked down at it. "You want something don't you." The DRD backed up and bumped into her foot again. "Talyn, I take it this annoying little pest wants this transponder." The lights dimmed again. Morgan closed the case, confident that it would work. She stood up, following the little DRD. She looked up as she stood in the center of the bridge. "Aeryn made the mistake of telling me how this works. If my cousin was in here right now, he'd be having a conniption." Morgan handed the modified transponder to the DRD, sinking to her knees. "Talyn, I want you to promise me something. Promise me that you will never, ever, lie to me. Dim the lights once if you promise." There was no response at first. Morgan rested her hands on her hips and looked up. "Talyn, do you want me to stay here? With you and Bialar?" The lights dimmed once. "Then promise or I will leave." Talyn dimmed the lights again.  
  
Morgan closed her eyes as the DRD rolled forward, bracing herself.  
  
The Beatles sang Yellow Submarine as John and Aeryn rolled off the bed in the middle of making love.  
  
Crais tossed in bed, dreaming.  
  
Everything momentarily froze.  
  
And then Morgan's scream echoed through the ship.  
  
  
  
"She's coming around," Aeryn sighed with relief. She leaned back on her heels, gazing over Morgan's prone form at Crichton.  
  
"It's about frellin' time." Crichton leaned his elbow on his knee, rubbing his face then cradling his chin between his thumb and forefinger. He heard movement behind him and quickly rose, stopping Crais.  
  
"What has she done?" Crais yelled, his anger barely held in check. He pushed against Crichton.  
  
"Easy Bialar. The last thing she needs is you blowing a gasket in her face," Crichton replied, holding the Captain back. He understood how Crais felt, but knew his cousin well enough to keep his mouth shut. Morgan wouldn't hesitate to argue and swing back.  
  
Morgan sat up slowly, rubbing her shoulder where she had slammed into a console. She shook her head, holding out her hand to stand. Aeryn wrapped her arm around her, trying to steady Morgan as she stood, leaning her hands on her knees for a moment before straightening.  
  
"Are you alright?" Aeryn asked, concern etched across her face.  
  
A gentle smile spread across her face. "Yeah." She chuckled softly. "Yeah, I'm fine." She looked at Aeryn. "He's phenomenal."  
  
Aeryn nodded knowingly. "I know."  
  
"And you are incredibly stupid for doing what you just did," Crais snapped, breaking away from Crichton. He grabbed Morgan's arm, turning her to face him, his eyes boring into her.  
  
Immediately, Talyn went on the defensive, dropping Crais to his knees, his hand still gripping Morgan's arm. "Talyn, stop it," she simply said. She used the neural link, blocking the signal the ship sent to Crais. Talyn retaliated, only to find the cybernetic feedback did not affect her.  
  
Crais' grip on Morgan's arm loosened and he looked up at her. "What have you done?" he hissed through clenched teeth.  
  
Morgan knelt down. "I blocked the feedback." Her blue eyes locked with Crais' in defiance. "We can still control Talyn, but he cannot control me." She reached around Crais' neck and plucked the removable transponder piece from its cradle. "Or you, once I'm done." She stood up, stepping over him, moving back to the console where her tools still sat. "Sulk all you want, Talyn. You can't always get your way," she replied to the gunship.  
  
Crichton stepped up beside his cousin. "Since when did you know anything about cybernetic links?" he asked quietly.  
  
Morgan glanced at Crais, who glared at her, watching as she rearranged the tools before her. She looked up at Crichton. "I finished my PhD in cybernetics three months ago. The Osiris was supposed to use links similar to this, but I couldn't get it finished in time." She opened the casing, making the same adjustments to Crais' neural link. Closing it, Morgan tossed it back to him and stalked off the bridge.  
  
Aeryn leaned against the weapons console, staring down at Crais. "I think you have met your match."  
  
"In a human, at that," Crichton added. "A female human."  
  
Crais replaced the transponder, standing up and storming off the bridge without a word.  
  
"Who's sulking now?" Crichton observed quietly. He shook his head. "Things are getting interesting around here." He rubbed his eyes, gazing at Aeryn. "Why? Why on Earth did Morgan do that? I just don't get it Aeryn."  
  
Aeryn walked over to where Crichton was leaning, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Maybe you should ask her that." He started to move, but she held him still. "When she calms down."  
  
Crichton looked at her and reluctantly nodded, pulling Aeryn into his arms.  
  
  
  
And Crichton did exactly that. It took Morgan three days to calm down, refusing to talk to anybody, hiding in her quarters, only coming out long enough to eat or work on the Osiris, barely saying a word to anyone. Crais' mood wasn't much better, but he didn't go into hiding. Instead, he and Crichton kept working on the wormhole logs from Morgan's module. Aeryn worked on tweaking Talyn's systems, letting the Leviathan rest. Crichton waved his hand over the door panel to Morgan's quarters, expecting to have to pound his way in. Instead, the doors slid quietly open, Crichton's raised fist hanging in mid-air. He cautiously stepped in, looking around the dim room. "Morgan?"  
  
The lights were so dim that at first he didn't see her. Sarah McLachlan played on the boom box sitting on a shelf over a console, softly repeating the song "Fear" over and over. "Mor?" he called again. A quiet sob made Crichton move forward and he found her on the floor, her head on her pulled up knees. The transponder blinked slowly and he knew she still had it in privacy mode. Crichton eased down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He saw the picture hanging from her fingers and simply waited.  
  
Morgan sniffed, wiping the tears from her puffy, red eyes. She looked at the picture and handed it to Crichton. "They loved you so much," she said.  
  
He gazed down at the graduation picture of Morgan and himself, standing between her parents. They had both graduated with honors, PhD's in interrelated fields. "How are they?" he asked.  
  
She sniffed. "Dead." She leaned her head back on the bed. "Everything has happened so fast around here and I have so much to tell you. And yet."  
  
Crichton shifted to look at her. "What happened?"  
  
She shook her head. "A freak accident. Air plane crash." She started crying again. "They were going on their second honeymoon."  
  
Crichton looked back at the picture of his aunt and uncle, the pieces slowly starting to fit together. Morgan had been their only child and he was the closest thing to a brother she had. "You never intended on going home, did you?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. All I wanted after they died was to find you. Uncle Jack helped out with getting the funding to build the Osiris. He knew John. He knew I wouldn't come home, but he never said a word, just kept on going." She picked another picture up from the box beside her. "This is for you. There is a whole box of letters for you in one of the containers from him." She wiped her face.  
  
Crichton looked at the picture of his father. He looked old, the years he had been gone having taken it's toll on him. "When was this taken?"  
  
"About two weeks ago." She leaned her head back again, rolling it to look at him. "He believed that I would find you. Uncle Jack said if anyone could, it would be me."  
  
Morgan didn't realize that she had disengaged the privacy mode and Crais looked up as Talyn fed the conversation onto the bridge. His eyes met Aeryn's and they listened quietly.  
  
"You remember that time I ran away from home? You told dad you could find me and led him right to me."  
  
"Up in the tree house. God John, we were what? 5? 6?"  
  
"Something like that. And when you ran away 'cause your parents didn't understand why you were so upset for being stood up for prom?"  
  
"Yeah. You found me out on the old landing strip."  
  
"Yup. Sitting up on top of the launch mooring."  
  
Silence filtered through the comm and then Morgan spoke, her voice steadier.  
  
"I know you're mad at me for doing this."  
  
"Nothing I could've done to stop you. Why'd ya do it anyway?"  
  
"I don't know. I.there's something about."  
  
John sighed. "Crais?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess you were right about me always liking the tall, dark, brooding and moody as hell types."  
  
"Morgan, be careful. Crais is dangerous."  
  
"I know." She snorted. "I know that even better now than before, but that's my choice John. And somebody should give him a chance. Like you gave Aeryn."  
  
Aeryn looked at Crais, her hand going to her mouth. Crais sighed. "Talyn." The gunship stopped the feed.  
  
Crichton pulled Morgan to him, his arm around her shoulders. "I know. Maybe the two of you will be good for each other."  
  
Morgan leaned her head on Crichton's shoulder. "Or we'll kill each other."  
  
  
  
Crichton held Aeryn tight beside him, his head cradled on his arm. He had told her about the conversation he and Morgan had. Aeryn listened quietly, never saying a word about hearing part of it, but hanging on every one of his. He wondered what had gotten into her, for she had been extremely affectionate and loving. Not that he was complaining. A smile spread on his lips and he kissed the top of her head, breathing in her soft scent. He opened his eyes and moaned.  
  
"Hello John." Scorpius stood there in a pink bathrobe, mules and curlers.  
  
"Harvey, buzz off. Don't you think you've done enough damage?"  
  
Scorpius moved around the bed and sat next to Crichton. "Oh, I could do more. Your cousin is definitely interesting. She has something I want even more than the wormhole technology."  
  
"And that would be?" Crichton asked suspiciously.  
  
Scorpius laughed. "Now what fun would it be if I told you?" He stood up and walked away, his image shifting. He turned to face Crichton, this time in a slinky red negligee. "Although I would venture to say that she could get me out of your head for good." The neural clone disappeared, leaving Crichton shaking.  
  
"Oh no. No. No. No. No. NO!" he yelled, sitting up.  
  
Aeryn stirred beside him, leaning up on one elbow. "What's the matter?"  
  
Crichton turned and looked at Aeryn. "Nothing. I.uh.I need to think." He leaned down and kissed her, pulling his t-shirt over his head and walking out of their quarters, pacing Talyn's corridors. "First the wormhole technology from me, now Morgan's cybernetic technology. This is just not our week."  
  
  
  
Morgan stood outside of Crais' quarters, gazing at her distorted reflection as she debated whether or not she was ready to face him. She ignored Talyn's prompting, the ship wanting her to speak to Crais, sighing in annoyance when he opened the door. "Thanks, you pain in the ass," she grumbled as she walked in. She found Crais sitting at his desk. "So, find anyplace we can stop for a burger?" she asked, tucking her hands in her pockets and leaning on the edge of the desk.  
  
Crais shut off the log he had been recording, slipping past Morgan. "What do you want Captain?"  
  
Morgan's eyebrows rose. "A bit testy are we?"  
  
"I don't.appreciate people messing with my ship," Crais responded. He slid the handful of data chips back into their respective slots, each one slamming into it's home a little harder than the one before it. He was not in the mood to deal with her.  
  
Morgan crossed her arms, her own annoyance flaring. "Then you'd rather be incapacitated every time Talyn wants to buck your authority? Have it your way." She stood up, her cowboy boots clicking on the floor as she approached Crais, reaching for the transponder.  
  
Crais whirled around, his hand closing around her wrist, exerting just enough pressure to make her flinch. "Ever since you showed up and I saw you, I." He clenched his teeth, his breathing heavy as he glared at her. He softened his tone. "Thank you."  
  
Morgan stared at him, a small, satisfied smile on her face. "That was hard, wasn't it?" she goaded. "You just can't let down your guard and give up that Peacekeeper training, can you?"  
  
"You have no idea what you are talking about," he hissed, releasing her wrist. "You wanted to know my side of the story," he said walking back to the desk, "then sit down and do what I tell you."  
  
"I didn't come here to."  
  
"SIT DOWN!" Crais pointed to the chair. Morgan walked back to the desk and sat down, Crais leaning over her shoulder. "Now, access Talyn's logs. Use the neural link." She took a breath and opened her mind to Talyn. "Since part of my psyche is there, in Talyn, you can see it through my eyes," he continued, his voice softening, his breath warm on her neck.  
  
Morgan watched, sitting frozen as she learned of Crais' life. The harrowing training as a Peacekeeper and his quick rise to the position of Captain. His appointment as head of the Leviathan project. His anger at Crichton over his brother's death. His experience in the Aurora chair at Scorpius' hand. The day he stole and linked himself to Talyn. Everything. Everything she wanted to know about him, through his eyes, his experiences, his mind.  
  
Crais stepped back, waiting, his hands clasped behind his back as he walked over to gaze out the viewport above his bed, giving Morgan time to absorb the information, knowing that what she saw, what Talyn showed her, was the unadulterated truth, in all it's cruelty, horror and pain.  
  
Morgan stared at Crais, his back straight as he waited. She wasn't sure what to think other than the fact that she was growing fonder of him everyday. This was not going to change it. It just explained Crais. She joined him at the viewport. "John knows all of this?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Yes." He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards her. "Morgan, you wanted to know. And I did warn."  
  
Morgan faced him, holding her hand up, touching her fingers to his lips, shaking her head. Her blue eyes met his, soft and bright in the light. "Don't apologize to me for who you are or what you have done. I don't want it and I don't need it. " She paused. "I can accept you as you are, even if others can't. Maybe I'm just crazy. Maybe I understand. I don't know." She shrugged, turning back to look out at the sky.  
  
Crais stared at her. He would never figure out humans. He leaned towards her, his lips brushing her cheek as he slowly pulled her towards him. She turned, their mouths meeting, Morgan laying her hands on his chest, letting down her guard. He moved his mouth over her face, his goatee tickling as he began to make his way down her neck. "Bialar?"  
  
"Yes Morgan," he answered softly.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
Crais looked up and followed her gaze. "Frell!" He grabbed her hand, pulling her up the corridor. "Are you sure?"  
  
"What is a Scarren?" Morgan asked, trying to keep up with him. She waved to Crichton as she took off into a run after Crais.  
  
"Scarrens? Where?" Crichton yelled, following Morgan.  
  
Aeryn peered out of their quarters, half-asleep. She strapped her belt on, following the others. By the time she reached the bridge, Crais and Morgan had already manned the consoles. "What in the frell is going on?"  
  
"Talyn has picked up a Scarren dreadnaught about a half an arn out from us," Crais answered.  
  
"Can we starburst?" Aeryn asked.  
  
"Not without attracting it's attention," Crichton replied.  
  
"Too late, guys," Morgan called. "It just saw us and is heading our way."  
  
Crais looked at her. "Access the weapon's controls. Turn every frellin' gun on this ship in their direction and prepare to fire. Can you do that?"  
  
Morgan nodded, turning back to the console. "Is Mickey a mouse?" she mumbled. She reached back, grasping the transponder, accessing the weapons array. She whistled. "Han Solo would've liked this ship."  
  
The Scarren ship moved in on them quickly. Morgan got off one shot, the dreadnaught firing back, rocking Talyn as the young Leviathan banked to move away. The dreadnaught hit again. "Shit! They got the main gun!" She turned back to Crais, but he was no help. It was all he could do to control Talyn.  
  
Crais' eyes snapped open. "Crichton!"  
  
Crichton and the others turned towards Crais. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I don't know. I can't move." His hand clutched at his chest, the pain crossing his face.  
  
Crichton looked at Morgan. "Is Talyn doing that?"  
  
"No. It's an outside source."  
  
Aeryn looked at Crichton as Crais began to glow red.  
  
"Crais!" Morgan yelled as his body began to slowly fade. Crichton held her back, keeping his cousin from jumping into the hot, red light that had enveloped the Captain. "Let me go."  
  
"No." Crais disappeared, leaving them standing there, staring. "You need to control Talyn."  
  
"The dreadnaught is moving away," Aeryn reported.  
  
Crichton double-checked the console, letting go of Morgan who moved to where Crais had disappeared. She reached out with Talyn's sensors. "He's still alive," she said softly.  
  
Aeryn turned towards her. "What just happened?"  
  
Crichton and Morgan glanced at each other. "Scotty just beamed the Captain up."  
  
Copyright 2001 Beth A. Carpenter 


	4. Chapter Three

1.1.1 Chapter Three  
  
Crais' whole body hurt, his head pounding with the thump, thump of blood flowing through it. His left eye was swollen shut, the right hazy as he slowly opened it. And he was hot, burning up, sweat rolling down his face and bare chest, stinging in the wounds the Scarren had inflicted. He was bound to a frame, his hands out to the sides. Crais had no feeling left in his fingers and he tried to move them to get the blood flowing.  
  
"Where is Commander John Crichton?" the voice asked again.  
  
Crais slowly turned his head towards the voice. "I told.you.I don't know," he whispered. His mouth was dry and Crais tried to swallow past the cottony taste in the back of his throat. His head snapped back the opposite direction, slamming against the other side of the frame as the Scarren backhanded him, it's nails opening fresh wounds. He tasted blood pooling in his mouth from where his teeth had split open his lower lip.  
  
The Scarren paced before him. "You are Captain Bialar Crais, ex- Peacekeeper, once the leader of an elite squadron. You were in charge of the Leviathan project, the man responsible for the successful birth of a hybrid gunship, designed to operate with a neural interface to a single being." The Scarren moved towards him, it's face inches from his. "You were in charge of the command carrier that was to bring in John Crichton. Where is he?"  
  
Crais gathered up as much spit and blood as he could muster, sending it into the Scarren's face. He would not give up Crichton, for he knew if the Scarren's found Crichton, they'd find Morgan. "I don't know."  
  
The Scarren wiped the spittle away. "Again," it yelled.  
  
Crais' body arched in pain as it was shot through with white-hot energy, his screams echoing down the corridors of the dreadnaught.  
  
  
  
Aeryn walked into Talyn's bridge and handed Crichton a cup of coffee. "She's finally asleep," she said, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her head on his shoulder. The ship was unusually quiet. Even the DRD's, who were constantly underfoot, had gone into hiding. She let her hand drift under his t-shirt, his skin warm as she ran her hand over Crichton's stomach.  
  
"The link to Talyn is the only thing that has kept her going this long." He sipped the coffee and set the mug down, turning in Aeryn's arms. "At least Talyn is keeping calm." He leaned his chin on her head. "We've been searching for 3 days, Aeryn. They could've taken him anywhere."  
  
"But why? The Peacekeepers have been trying to keep the Scarren's at bay for years. Why Crais?" she questioned, her head on Crichton's chest.  
  
He shrugged. "I don't know, babe." He rubbed her back, breathing in her unique scent. "I know one thing, though. If we don't find Crais, Morgan will never be able to hold it together."  
  
Aeryn looked up at Crichton. "I'm very concerned about her, John. Maybe we should find Moya, get some help from D'Argo and the others."  
  
Crichton sighed, tucking a piece of Aeryn's hair behind her ear. "I thought about that, but." He shook his head. "As much as I'd like to have Big D here, and as much as Blue could help Morgan, I won't endanger them in this. It's bad enough we're involved." He let Aeryn go, moving to check the systems console. "We're gonna need supplies before long."  
  
"I checked the food stores. Between what we have here and what Morgan." Aeryn fell silent.  
  
"What?" Crichton turned to look at her. "Aeryn?"  
  
She held up her hand, quieting him. "Did you hear that?" she asked, tilting her head.  
  
This time, even Crichton heard it. Both of them took off at a run towards Morgan's quarters. Aeryn waved her hand over the panel, the door sliding open. The room was a mess, clothes thrown helter-skelter across the floor, CD's flung from the shelf, pictures overturned, Morgan on the bed clawing at her face, screaming, her eyes staring blankly into space. "Oh my god," Crichton said, moving towards her.  
  
Aeryn pushed Crichton aside, grabbing Morgan's hands. "Morgan! Morgan, snap out of it!" she yelled, shaking her.  
  
"I thought she fixed the transponders," Crichton yelled over his cousin's screams.  
  
"She did. This is something else!" Aeryn clasped both of Morgan's wrists in one hand, fighting with her as she tried to pull away. She let the Peacekeeper in her take over and backhanded Morgan.  
  
Morgan's head jerked to the left, her screams falling silent, and when she turned back to Aeryn, her eyes were focused and haunted. "Aeryn?" she sobbed, her eyes searching.  
  
Aeryn folded her into her arms as Morgan broke down into tears, her eyes meeting Crichton's over his cousin.  
  
  
  
"All I know is that I could see and feel the Scarrens torturing him," Morgan said. She flinched as Crichton applied the salve to her scratches. Dark, baggy circles smudged her cheeks under her eyes, her pupil's small, and the whites bloodshot.  
  
"Okay, I'm a little fuzzy on this whole cybernetic link thing," Crichton commented as he closed the lid on the container and leaned back in his chair. He pushed a plate of fruit and bread towards Morgan. "Eat and talk."  
  
Morgan swallowed, gazing down at the food. "I don't think so."  
  
"Eat!" Aeryn gazed down at her sternly, pointing to the plate. "If you don't keep up your strength, we're all frelled!"  
  
Morgan turned to Crichton. "Would you please tell me what "frell" means?"  
  
"Fucked. Quit changing the subject, Morgan," he answered. He knew his cousin well enough to know when she was trying to evade him.  
  
Morgan picked up the fork, stabbing a piece of blue fruit. "The cybernetics here are much more advanced than back on Earth, but the basic principle is the same." She stabbed another piece. "With the privacy mode disengaged, Crais and I pick up each others thoughts," she said softly.  
  
"So then whatever the Scarrens are doing to ole Monkey Man Crais, you can feel," Crichton observed. Morgan nodded silently, not having the strength to bicker with him. "So, why don't you turn the privacy mode on?"  
  
"If she does, then Talyn can't communicate with her," Aeryn interjected.  
  
"And it's too late to pull the transponder," Morgan added.  
  
"What do you mean it's too late?" Crichton snapped.  
  
"John, the cybernetics are too deeply embedded in her now," Aeryn explained. "The one Morgan had the DRD insert works the same way as Crais' transponder. You pull it, Talyn dies and quite possibly, Morgan."  
  
Morgan smiled weakly at her cousin. "And I'm the only pilot you've got right now, cowboy."  
  
Crichton banged his head on the table. "This is just frelling peachy."  
  
Aeryn's lips pursed as she tried not to laugh at Crichton. She glanced at Morgan, noticing the strain on her face. "Morgan?"  
  
Morgan closed her eyes, her hands clenching the table edge, her knuckles going white, until the pain passed. "I'm okay," she said breathlessly. She canted her head as she listened to Talyn. "He's picked up a signal, not too far from our position."  
  
"Scarrens?" Crichton asked, looking up.  
  
Morgan shook her head. "No. It's a Peacekeeper signal." The three of them left the kitchen, heading for the bridge, Talyn feeding Morgan as much information as he could. "It's a single pilot ship," Morgan added.  
  
"Prowler? This far out?" Crichton headed straight for the comm panel.  
  
"There must be a carrier nearby." Aeryn's hands flew over the scanner console.  
  
Morgan stopped in the center of the bridge. "Talyn, slow down." She reached back, grabbing a hold of the transponder with both hands as the gunship chirped nervously. Morgan frowned in confusion. "Based on his readings, the gunship moved out of the sector hours ago."  
  
The comm board lit up. "Phone's ringing. Should we answer it?" Crichton asked. Both women shrugged and Morgan opened the comm channel. "You're get the hang of it," he said to himself, secretly proud of her. The image that appeared on the clamshell made them all moan.  
  
"Hello John. May I come aboard?" Scorpius asked.  
  
  
  
Crais was burning up. He had no energy left, almost no will left to fight. He had suffered torture before, under Scorpius' hand in the Aurora chair, but that was nothing compared to what the Scarrens were putting him through. He could barely breathe, his nose having been broken earlier and the heat in the room stifling.  
  
"Who is Morgan Langtree, Captain Crais?" the Scarren asked.  
  
Morgan. He could see her in his mind, her smile, her blue eyes as they looked at him in defiance. Crais had always been trained that to fall in love was to be weak. But he didn't care, not since meeting her. He was discovering that the source of his strength through the Scarren's torture was Morgan. She was smart, stubborn, headstrong, beautiful. Beautiful. His Morgan. "No.one," he whispered weakly.  
  
The Scarren grabbed his face, turning him to look at it. "Who is she? Where is Crichton? How did you breed the Leviathan?"  
  
Crais managed to smile through the pain. "Go get frelled," he hissed.  
  
The Scarren let go of his face. It turned to two others. "Since physical torture will not convince you to cooperate, then we shall get the information another way." The other two Scarrens lowered something over Crais' head.  
  
"You.will.never.break me," Crais said.  
  
"We shall see."  
  
The heat was back and Crais screamed.  
  
  
  
"No, you cannot come aboard!" Crichton answered. "As a matter of fact, you can turn your damn ship around and get the frell out of here."  
  
Scorpius' face took on a look of hurt. "And here I've come to help."  
  
"Help with what?" Aeryn asked suspiciously.  
  
"Officer Sun, how nice to see you." Scorpius looked straight at Morgan. "I think Captain Langtree knows what I am here to help with."  
  
Morgan's jaw set and she never flinched as she clasped her hands behind her back to keep them from shaking. "I have no idea what you're talking about." Aeryn smiled slightly when she noticed that the forward cannons had been trained on Scorpius' Prowler. "And I would suggest you leave me and my cousin alone."  
  
Scorpius laughed. "Well, then, the information I have on Captain Crais will go to waste." His face hardened. "Unless you let me on board."  
  
Crichton's eyes met Morgan's. "Should we let him on?" he mouthed to her.  
  
After a moment, Morgan nodded, looking away in resignation. She released the docking web and stalked off the bridge, aimlessly wandering Talyn's corridors. She came face to face with Scorpius as he exited the landing bay, surrounded by the missing DRD's. "What do you know about Crais?"  
  
Scorpius' eyes narrowed slightly as he looked down at her. "All in good time. Let's find your cousin and then we'll discuss it." They walked silently back towards the bridge, stopping at the kitchen where John and Aeryn waited, pulse pistols drawn. "Is that any way to treat a friend?" Scorpius said, sitting down.  
  
"Scorpy, you're not my friend. Now, what do you have on Crais and why are you really here?"  
  
Scorpius sighed. "I have come to help you rescue Captain Crais from the Scarrens." He held up his hand, silencing them. "Please, hear me out. You of all people, John, know that I have no love of them, even if I am part Scarren myself."  
  
Crichton turned his chair around, straddling it backwards. He laid his pulse pistol on the table, never taking his hand off it. "Alright. Let's hear it."  
  
Scorpius gazed at each of them in turn, his eyes returning to Crichton. "The Scarrens, like myself, are after the wormhole technology the ancients imparted to you. Obviously they were not aware of your presence on Talyn." He looked up at Morgan. "Or yours," he added.  
  
"Obviously. What does this have to do with Crais?" she snapped, folding her arms across her chest as she stood next to Aeryn.  
  
Scorpius turned his gaze back to Crichton. "Captain Crais is wanted by the Scarrens for his knowledge of breeding hybrid Leviathans. They recently confirmed Talyn's existence. It had been a myth to them up until now. Capture Crais, they get both."  
  
"Sounds like a set up to me," Crichton commented, leaning back.  
  
"Yes, it does," Scorpius agreed, folding his hands on the table.  
  
Crichton rubbed his eyes. "The Scarrens are torturing him at the moment."  
  
Scorpius' eyes widened and he leaned forward. "How do you know this?"  
  
Aeryn holstered her pulse pistol. "Morgan dreamed about it."  
  
Realization dawned on Scorpius' face. "Ah, Captain Langtree has linked with Talyn, I assume." He looked at her. "What have they done?"  
  
Morgan shuddered, rubbing her arms. "They.uh.have used."  
  
Crichton leaned backward, looking at her upside down. "You don't have to tell him, Morgan."  
  
"Actually, John, she does. I need to get an idea of how much time we have," Scorpius commented. "I know how much Crais can tolerate." Crichton leaned forward, glaring at Scorpius. "Sebacean's can only tolerate so much heat before delirium sets in," he continued.  
  
"Sebacean?" Morgan looked at Aeryn, her eyes questioning.  
  
"Crais and I are Sebacean. Our physiology is compatible with humans, but there are some differences," Aeryn explained.  
  
"Oh," Morgan said. She looked at Scorpius. "They were using heat at first and then some sort of mind torture." She shrugged apologetically.  
  
Scorpius stood, Crichton with him, his pulse pistol aimed at the Peacekeeper scientist. "Then we must hurry. He doesn't have much time before the Scarrens cause irreversible damage."  
  
"Whoa there, Leatherface. You expect us to just up and trust you?" Crichton leered at him. "What's in this for you and how can we be sure you just don't want to take us back to High Command?"  
  
Scorpius smiled, opening his arms wide. "You can't be sure, John. What I want though, is Captain Langtree's help."  
  
"What kind of help?" Morgan's eyes narrowed as she stepped towards her cousin.  
  
"In exchange for helping you rescue Crais, I want your help to fix this." Scorpius tapped his head. "The neural net that controls my inner cooling system is decaying and I don't know why."  
  
She leaned her hands on the table, staring at Scorpius. "And you think I can help?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Yes." He paused, his eyes meeting hers, a calculating smile crossing his face. "You see, the net is cybernetic."  
  
  
  
Crais' arms went out from under him and he hit the dreadnaught's deck face first, pain shooting through his cheeks as his nose met the cool metal. He shivered in the frigid cell, thankful for the coolness, a refreshing break from the Scarrens intolerable heat.  
  
He rolled onto his back, laughing to himself. No matter how hard they tried, the Scarrens had got nothing from him. Not one piece of information about Crichton or the Leviathan project. He reached slowly back, surprised the transponder was still there, wondering how the gunship was holding up.  
  
He knew Morgan was holding on. He could feel her, distant, as if Talyn was far away. He didn't give them any information on Morgan either. He closed his eyes, letting his mind wander until he slid into an exhausted sleep, her name on his lips.  
  
  
  
Morgan rolled over in bed, her eyes scanning the room. She couldn't sleep and could feel Talyn's restlessness as the young Leviathan sped towards its rendezvous with Scorpius' cruiser, her cousin at the controls. "I know how you feel, Talyn. I can't sleep either," she said softly. She stood up, padding towards the door, slipping her robe over her shoulders as she went. She let her mind drift, reviewing the information Talyn fed her until she finally found herself standing outside of Crais' quarters.  
  
She waved her hand over the panel, the doors sliding silently open as she walked in. She had only been in Crais' quarters twice since she had arrived. Had it already been a week since she came to the Uncharted Territories? She ran her fingers across his desk as she moved deeper into the room, trying to get a feel for the mysterious man she was falling in love with. She looked at the shelves filled with Crais' clothes, folded neatly and stacked in an orderly fashion, his boots lined up below them shining in the dim light. Morgan smiled to herself, moving past them to the cabinet holding Crais' data chips. She reached out to take one, stopping. "Better not," she mumbled.  
  
Morgan yawned, her eyes drifting to the bed. It was still made, the sheets and blanket folded with perfect military precision. She sat down, running her hand over the soft comforter, letting the exhaustion she had been fighting take over, leaning back onto Crais' pillow. She pulled the other one to her, wrapping her body around it, breathing in his lingering scent as she closed her eyes. "Don't worry, Bialar," she whispered as she drifted off to sleep. "I'm on the way."  
  
  
  
"Have you seen Morgan?" Crichton asked the next morning as he walked onto the bridge.  
  
Aeryn turned from the console to look at him. "She's not in her quarters?"  
  
"No." Crichton's face grew dark. "Where is Scorpius?" He turned unholstering his pistol. "Scorpius!" he yelled, storming from the bridge.  
  
Aeryn's call stopped him. "John, wait!" She ran to catch up with him. "Talyn told me where she is." She smiled knowingly. "Come on." She took his free hand, leading him to Crais' quarters. Aeryn waved her hand over the panel, quietly slipping in.  
  
Morgan was sound asleep in Crais' bed, wrapped around his pillows. Her face was peaceful in deep sleep, the self-inflicted scratches having faded. Crichton nodded in relief. "C'mon. Let her sleep. We can plan this without her."  
  
They turned and left, walking back to the kitchen where Scorpius still sat. "Did you find her?" he asked, looking up at them.  
  
Crichton sat down across from him. "Yup. And we're gonna plan this without her."  
  
Aeryn pushed the data chip she had been carrying into a slot on a nearby console. "Talyn, show us the layout of the Scarren dreadnaught."  
  
  
  
Crichton, Aeryn and Scorpius turned at the sound of footsteps heading towards the bridge. At the sight of his cousin, Crichton smiled. "It's amazing how ten arns of undisturbed sleep can change a person." He looked over Morgan's outfit of blue jeans, combat boots and blue tank top, the dark smudges under her eyes gone. "I see you still wear the same thing when you're about to get into a fight."  
  
Morgan shrugged. "Why stop a good tradition?" she answered. She put one hand on her hip, the other behind her back. "Talyn filled me in. I want you to use the Osiris," she said confidently, her voice lacking the strain it had carried over the last few days.  
  
"No. The Farscape will work," Crichton said. He had flown the module to Talyn the day they first picked up Scorpius' signal and had split from Moya.  
  
Morgan stepped up to her cousin, a stubborn smile on her face. "No, it won't work. You've made too many modifications to it for it to be convincing. You know as well as I do that they'll pick up the bio signatures on all of the organic material you've used."  
  
"I hate it when you do that," Crichton mumbled, turning away, knowing she was right.  
  
"What about the cybernetics you started integrating into the shuttle?" Aeryn asked.  
  
Morgan held up the hand that had been behind her back, a jumbled mess of wires hanging from her fingers. "It's now just a boring, modified, NASA shuttle." She let the wires slide to the floor.  
  
Crichton looked at her. "Are you sure? That's your only way home."  
  
Morgan nodded, the decision to stay having been made the day she first set eyes on Crais and slammed him into the Osiris, her empty 9mm to his head. "I am home, John. I'm not going back." She turned to Scorpius. "Let's do it."  
  
Copyright 2001 Beth A. Carpenter 


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four  
  
"You can't be serious?" Braca looked at Scorpius as if the scientist had two heads. He followed Scorpius into his quarters. "If High Command finds out we had Talyn within our grasp."  
  
"They won't," Scorpius interrupted, silencing his second-in-command with a look.  
  
Braca momentarily stared at Scorpius. "You mean we are going to let them go after we help them rescue Captain Crais?" His eyebrows drew down in confusion.  
  
"Yes," Scorpius replied matter-of-factly. "I need Langtree to fix this," he said, pointing to his head. "That was the terms of our agreement. She is a shrewd one, Braca, not easily intimidated." He looked at him. "Do you wish to go against me?"  
  
Braca shook his head. "No sir." He turned as a subordinate approached him. Braca nodded. "We have a visual on the dreadnaught."  
  
"Good. Inform Commander Crichton that he may launch at any time." Scorpius watched as Braca marched out.  
  
  
  
Crichton eased the Osiris out of Talyn's docking web, his hands wrapped around the familiar controls. "Osiris to Talyn," he said, slipping into the old training.  
  
"Go ahead, Osiris," Morgan's voice answered.  
  
"I'm rockin' and rollin'." He took the shuttle into a roll, smiling. "As soon as I clear this moon's gravity well, I'll initiate system's shutdown." The plan was to make the Osiris appear as if it was drifting, a fake signal having already been sent out to the dreadnaught. Talyn hid behind the moon, Scorpius' cruiser hidden within the planet's dark side.  
  
"10-4 Osiris. Be careful," Morgan replied.  
  
"I will be." Crichton cut communications, watching the displays as he moved further outside the moon's pull. If everything went right.no, everything would go right. He hoped.  
  
The Osiris cleared the moon's gravity and the dreadnaught came into sight, alarms beginning to sound through the shuttle as he started the system's shutdown, unstrapping himself from the command chair and floating to the shuttle's modified electrical panel, waiting. The panel was the size of a small closet, bigger than the Farscape's, the cybernetic system Morgan had been developing once residing in it. Now it was bare, and as his cousin had promised, Crichton found the outside access panel. "You scare me, Morgan," he laughed to himself. He clipped his belt to a hook as the shuttle went into a free roll.  
  
It didn't take long for the Scarren ship to take the bait and he felt the ship straighten out as it was pulled into the bay, the Osiris being reeled in like a fish on a hook. Although it was actually the other way around. Movement outside the hidden panel made Crichton hold his breath. I must be frellin' nuts, he thought, waiting until the footsteps faded. He counted to 500 and then popped the outer access panel, easing himself to the deck. Crichton looked around, sweat immediately breaking out on his upper lip from the warmth. He closed the panel and hurried across the empty bay to an outer corridor, the layout of the ship firmly embedded in his mind, his finger on the trigger of the pulse rifle he was carrying, ready for anything.  
  
  
  
"Aeryn, you set?" Morgan asked.  
  
"Yes. " She gazed at the system's displays on her Prowler, her hands tightening around the controls. "You do realize that if this doesn't work." Aeryn let the comment hang.  
  
"Yup. Scorpius won't have to worry about his cooling system."  
  
Aeryn smiled to herself. "And there will be one less Scarren dreadnaught in the Uncharted Territories."  
  
Morgan laughed, her voice filled with menace. "That's going to happen anyway."  
  
  
  
The Scarren that appeared on Scorpius' view screen was a female. He glared at it from his position out of sight, every inch of his being filled with hatred.  
  
"This is Braca, senior officer of this Peacekeeper cruiser. You are trespassing in Peacekeeper controlled space. You have exactly one half arn to surrender peacefully or be destroyed."  
  
The Scarren snorted. "We do not surrender to weakling Sebacean's. But we will discuss the terms of your surrender."  
  
Braca smiled as two more Peacekeeper cruisers appeared, setting up an effective barrier around the dreadnaught. "I think not," he said. He moved his hand across his throat, signaling to cut the transmission and looked up at Scorpius.  
  
"Get Captain Langtree on the comm," Scorpius barked.  
  
"Langtree."  
  
"Captain, in one half arn, you are to appear. We will begin our attack then." He turned. "Is Officer Sun ready?"  
  
"She's standing by." Morgan fell momentarily silent. "Don't screw this up Scorpius. If you do, you're frelled."  
  
The transmission ended and Scorpius nodded to himself. He looked at Braca. "When the escape pod is released, make sure we pick it up first."  
  
Braca nodded, looking at Scorpius for explanation. When none came, he asked, "Any reason why?"  
  
Scorpius simply tapped his head.  
  
  
  
Crichton heard the scream as he turned the corner. He quickly stepped back as two Scarrens walked from a cell, a limp body dragging on the deck. He saw the neural link blinking at the back of Crais' neck as he moved into the middle of the corridor, a pulse rifle in his hand. "Hey! Godzilla!"  
  
The Scarrens turned at Crichton's voice and he fired as they dropped Crais' body, reaching for their own weapons, one of the Scarren's slamming into the bulkhead, the other getting off a shot. Crichton ducked and rolled, firing back as he moved to the other side of the corridor. The Scarren joined his companion as the ship shook beneath him. "Great timing, Harvey," he mumbled, running towards Crais' prone body. He knelt and felt Crais' neck, closing his eyes in relief that the Captain still had a pulse. Crais moaned as Crichton lifted him, propping him against the wall. He slapped his cheek. "C'mon Bialar. Time to wake up."  
  
Crais surprised Crichton when he grabbed his wrist. "Don't.do.that," he croaked.  
  
Crichton smiled. "Can you walk?"  
  
Crais released Crichton's arm, opening his one good eye and staring at the human. "What.are you.doing here?"  
  
"Saving your sorry ass, scary thought as that might be." He wrapped Crais' arm around his neck, half-carrying, half-dragging him up the corridor. Three Scarrens came barreling towards them, Crichton picking them off with the pulse rifle he clutched in his free hand. The rifle expired as the last Scarren slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Crichton threw the rifle down, reaching around to grab his pulse pistol from the holster at his waist. He peered around the corner, spying the escape pod. "All I go to say is that you better be grateful. Morgan's made a deal with the devil to save you."  
  
Crais grunted, leaning his head against the wall, trying to stay upright. "They.didn't get anything.from me."  
  
"On the contrary, we got everything we wanted," a voice said behind them.  
  
Both men turned, Crais slower than Crichton, to look at the Scarren who had been torturing the Captain. Crichton raised the pulse pistol to fire at the same time the Scarren fired on them, the bolt hitting the back of his hand. Crichton screamed in pain, dropping the pulse pistol, Crais barely catching him as he fell back.  
  
"You see, Captain Crais, you told us all about Captain Langtree and her cybernetic knowledge as well as how you successfully bred a Leviathan and Peacekeeper ship. And now, we have Commander Crichton. You are useless to us." The Scarren raised the pulse rifle, aiming it at Crais.  
  
It never had the chance to fire. With the last bit of strength he had left, Crais pulled the pulse pistol Crichton had tucked in the small of his back, wrapping his arm around the Commander and firing, hitting the Scarren between the eyes. The pulse pistol slid from his numb fingers as the Scarren hit the wall. The dreadnaught rocked and he felt Crichton push him into the escape pod. Crais watched as he pulled the release, his vision fading as he blacked out again, the escape pod spinning away from the dreadnaught as it came under full attack.  
  
  
  
"Fire!" Braca yelled, Scorpius' cruiser moving in, sending salvo after salvo into the faltering dreadnaught.  
  
Morgan's eyes narrowed as Talyn came around, all guns firing simultaneously as she and the Leviathan gunship took out the small Scarren fighters, running cover as Aeryn's Prowler closed in on the escape pod, shaking her head in annoyance as both the Prowler and escape pod were caught by the cruiser. The Scarren dreadnaught, and any information they had tortured out of Crais exploded in a brilliant blaze of fire, gas and metal. Morgan shielded her eyes as Talyn banked, flying away from the destruction.  
  
Scorpius' image came over the clamshell as the other cruisers began to move away. "Captain Langtree, your cousin, Officer Sun and Captain Crais are safe aboard my ship." His stared at her, his eyes cold and calculating. "Now it's time for you to fulfill your end of the deal."  
  
  
  
Morgan stepped off the transport pod, her knapsack of tools tossed over one shoulder. She walked over to the officer standing there to meet her. "You Braca?"  
  
The Peacekeeper looked at her. "Yes."  
  
She nodded. "Good. I want to see Crais."  
  
Braca laughed. "You are not exactly in a position to be demanding anything. Your cousin, Captain Crais and Officer Sun are all wanted by High Command. You should count yourself luck that Scorpius agreed to allow Officer Sun to return to Talyn." He turned, starting towards the landing bay's entrance.  
  
Morgan dropped her knapsack and marched towards Braca, grabbing his upper arm and whirling him around. She swung, her right hand connecting with his chin, knocking the Peacekeeper back. She grabbed his uniform jacket and slammed him into the bulkhead, her hand around his throat. "You let me see him or else I will snap your miserable frellin' neck," she snarled.  
  
"I'd let her see him, hoss," Crichton drawled as he walked in. He smiled at Braca as he walked up to stand behind his cousin. "The little lady isn't joking."  
  
Braca's eyes darted back and forth between Morgan and Crichton. He looked at her, nodding. Morgan let him go, taking the knapsack her cousin handed her.  
  
"You okay?" she asked, noticing his bandaged hand. She followed Braca, her back ramrod straight, only her eyes betraying the fury she was keeping carefully in check.  
  
"Yeah." Crichton laid a hand on her arm, stopping her. "Morgan, Crais is in pretty bad shape." He tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "I wanted to warn you." Braca cleared his throat and they continued up the corridor. Crichton went to follow her, but Morgan looked at him, her eyes begging him to stay. He took the knapsack she handed him. "I'll be waiting for you with Scorpius. Take your time." He glared at Braca as he walked away.  
  
Morgan stepped into the medical bay, following the nurse that was waiting to lead her to Crais' cubicle. She took a deep breath and stepped in, stopping, staring at him laying in the bed, bruised and battered. His nose had been reset, black and blue bruises around both eyes, scratches and cuts peppering his face like a road map. She moved towards him, wiping away the tears that had slipped onto her cheeks as she took his hand in hers, holding it to her chest.  
  
Crais opened his eyes, the swelling in the left one having gone down. Brown eyes met blue. "Morgan," he whispered, his throat sore.  
  
"Bialar," she said softly, her voice cracking with emotion. She caressed his cheek.  
  
"Where am I?" He swallowed hard, turning his face into her hand.  
  
Morgan bit her lower lip before answering. "Scorpius' cruiser." She laid her fingers on his lips as his eyes hardened. "You can yell at me later. Just rest, please," she said quietly.  
  
"Morgan.I." he started.  
  
"Captain Langtree, I hate to break up this tender moment," Scorpius said from behind her, "but the longer you remain on my ship, the more danger you are in."  
  
Morgan leaned down, gently kissing Crais on the lips. "I'll be back. I promise."  
  
  
  
"How hard is this going to be?" Crichton asked, gazing at Morgan over the edge of his mask. He glanced at Braca, who stood on the other side of the observation glass watching.  
  
Morgan looked at the cybernetic net that ran Scorpius' cooling system. "This is going to be a piece of cake," she answered, gazing up at Crichton. She smiled. "It's just a long process to rerun the wires. Especially these. Titanium alloy." She held one of the thin wires up, showing it to Crichton. She bent it in half, the wire curving perfectly. "They are pliable and won't break and the chemicals in his brain won't decay them."  
  
Crichton watched as Morgan ran the diagnostic scanner over Scorpius' exposed brain. "Mor, cous, do me a favor?" he remarked, taking the scanner from her.  
  
"What?" she asked as she began to insert the alloy wires.  
  
"Don't kill him."  
  
  
  
Morgan sank in the chair, pulling off the surgical mask and rubbing her eyes. It had taken her almost ten arns to rerun and program the neural net in Scorpius' brain. She looked up at Crichton as he walked in, a smile on his face.  
  
"I should've known in High School when you pulled the pig's brain and spinal cord out in one piece that you'd be doing something like this," he laughed. He plopped down in the chair beside her.  
  
"How's our patient?" she asked quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder.  
  
"I am much better, Captain." Scorpius walked in. "For once, I am actually comfortable." He looked at Crichton. "The other cruisers are starting to get suspicious, wondering why we haven't left the area. You better take Captain Crais and leave."  
  
Crichton stood up. "You don't have to tell me twice. I spend too much time in the company of your neural clone as it is." He started out the door, stopping to wait for Morgan.  
  
Scorpius looked at her. "Thank you. I know this was a great personal price to pay."  
  
Morgan stared at him. "John, wait with Crais."  
  
"Morgan?" Crichton started back in the room.  
  
"It's alright, John. I won't hurt her," Scorpius remarked.  
  
Morgan waited until Crichton was far enough down the corridor before she spoke. "You're welcome. I appreciate the help with Crais."  
  
Scorpius nodded. "The Scarrens do not need the information he has. Or the information you and your cousin have." He paused. "I on the other hand."  
  
Morgan shook her head. "Goodbye Scorpius." She walked out of the room, her heels clicking on the deck.  
  
Scorpius smiled to himself. "Until we meet again, Morgan Langtree," he whispered.  
  
  
  
Crichton walked from the landing bay towards command, his cousin behind him. "I'm not discussing this, Morgan."  
  
"Like hell you're not. Neural clone? Don't you think that was something you should've mentioned?" She grabbed Crichton's arm, swinging him around to face her.  
  
"I would've Morgan. Eventually." He stared at his cousin. "Look, I'm tired, you're tired and we have to get out of this sector. You and Talyn take care of that and we'll talk later. I promise." He continued up the corridor, knowing that he was going to have to tell Morgan about the neural clone. And about the other John Crichton that had been lurking around. He stormed into his quarters, Aeryn right behind him as she came from the bridge.  
  
"Morgan and Talyn are going to find some commerce planet a few sectors away where we can pick up supplies. She said she'd." Aeryn stopped, noticing the look of frustration on Crichton's face. "John, what's wrong?"  
  
He shook his head. "Morgan found out about Scorpius' neural clone."  
  
Aeryn crossed her arms, leaning against the doorframe. "And?"  
  
He looked up at her, turning. "How do I explain to her about another me?" He paused as Aeryn looked away briefly, the reminder painful. "Aeryn, I'm sorry. I just."  
  
Aeryn shook her head, walking over to him. "She doesn't have to know about your "twin". But you should explain the neural clone to her." She took Crichton's face in her hands. "Don't let her try to remove it, John. I can't lose you twice."  
  
Crichton wrapped his arms around Aeryn. "No, once was more than enough," he whispered, leaning his chin on her shoulder.  
  
  
  
The light of a sun filtered in through the view port above Crais' bed. He slowly opened his eyes, his entire body aching. He sat up, surprised to find Crichton sitting at his desk, his feet propped up on the console. "Crichton."  
  
"Crais," Crichton answered. He stared at the Captain. "You owe me one."  
  
Crais reached back to rub his neck. The transponder was still intact, the privacy mode engaged. He looked at Crichton. "Thank you for saving me."  
  
"Thank Morgan."  
  
Crais threw the covers back, slowly swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "You do not seem your usual self," Crais observed. He tried to stand, falling back. "How long have I been asleep?"  
  
Crichton stood up. "About three days. We're orbiting a commerce planet. Morgan and Aeryn went to get supplies." He turned towards the ex- Peacekeeper. "And no, I'm not myself. I've got a bit of a problem that I don't know how to handle."  
  
Crais looked up at Crichton increduously. "And you're asking me for advice?"  
  
Crichton rolled his eyes, sighing. "Yeah."  
  
A smile played at the corners of Crais' mouth. "And what would this problem be?" He tried standing up again, this time with success.  
  
"Morgan found out about the neural clone. I opened my big mouth and of course she jumped right on it." He leaned on the desk.  
  
Crais turned and looked at Crichton. "And what do you expect me to do about it?"  
  
"Well," Crichton scratched the back of his neck. "I thought maybe you could tell her about it. And.uh.maybe skip the whole part about the other me."  
  
Crais' eyebrows rose in shock. He watched Crichton pace the room. "I believe that would be the least I could do."  
  
Crichton stopped pacing. "Thank you. I just." He shrugged.  
  
Crais walked over to Crichton. "Although, if your cousin does not like what she hears, do not blame me."  
  
  
  
Aeryn and Morgan walked slowly among the stands on the commerce planet. Most of the supplies had been loaded on Talyn's transport pod and now the two women were just waiting for the last of the needed supplies to be gathered. Aeryn handed Morgan a flask of water. "I can not believe Scorpius backed off so easily," she commented, stopping to look at a stand containing ship parts, wondering if any of them would be useful.  
  
Morgan nodded. "That makes two of us. But a deal was a deal and I doubt he really wanted Talyn to blow him to kingdom come." She took a drink from the flask, replacing the plug. "At least the cybernetics took. He'll have to get used to the new configuration."  
  
Aeryn glanced at her, a smile on her face. "Poor him," she said sarcastically. They moved on, slowing at a stand of clothing. "Have you talked to Crais?"  
  
Morgan looked away from Aeryn's gaze, pretending to be interested in an azure blue scarf of some silky material. "No."  
  
Aeryn took Morgan's arm. "Morgan, it's been five solar days since we left Scorpius and the cruiser. How much longer do you plan to avoid him?" she asked quietly.  
  
Morgan licked her lips nervously, her eyes meeting Aeryn's. "I don't know." She turned back to the alien behind the stand, handing it enough retri to pay for the scarf. She picked it up, folding it neatly into a square and tucking it into her pocket. Morgan readjusted the pulse pistol strapped to her leg, not used to wearing it and very conscience of it's weight. They began walking again, heading towards the transport pod. "I guess I'm just a bit scared to face him. I know he's not exactly pleased with the fact that we accepted Scorpius' help."  
  
Aeryn nodded. She thought about the time she returned to Moya and faced Crichton, not the Crichton she had just buried in space, but his exact duplicate. "I have found that the best thing to do is face your fear and get it over with," she said softly. "You may be surprised by the results."  
  
  
  
Morgan walked into Crais' quarters, stopping just inside the door. "Bialar?" she called softly. She heard his footsteps coming from the shower and she turned on one heel, getting set to leave when Crais walked into the room.  
  
"Morgan," he simply said, moving towards the bed.  
  
Morgan turned slowly, her stomach in knots. She gazed at him, his chest still damp. A pair of tight black pants was all he wore. "I.uh.just wanted to see how you were doing," she commented, trying not to look at him.  
  
Crais walked towards her. "Back to my usual self, thanks to you."  
  
"Good. Um.you're busy, so I'll.uh.talk to you later." She turned back towards the entrance, wanting to flee.  
  
"Your cousin asked me to talk to you about Scorpius' neural clone."  
  
Morgan's back stiffened. "Aeryn and I have already discussed it."  
  
Crais nodded, although Morgan didn't see it. "You have been avoiding me." His voice was soft as he made the simple statement. Morgan turned back towards him, her eyes darting across the room. She refused to look at him. Crais took her chin in his hand, gently tilting her face towards him. "Why?"  
  
Her eyes searched hi, looking for anger, annoyance, recrimination, anything except the affection she saw there. "I didn't want to bother you. You needed your rest."  
  
Crais smiled, that small action still hurting his healing face. "I am grateful for what you did. You took a risk that I am not sure I could've taken."  
  
Morgan looked at him, her eyes hardening with fury. "Well, I wasn't about to let them torture you to death," she snapped. She tried to pull away, but Crais wouldn't let go, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her towards him.  
  
"That is not what I meant. I am talking about the deal you made with Scorpius," he replied.  
  
Morgan could feel the heat radiating from him as their eyes locked. "I don't expect him to stay away," she replied. "He does not strike me as the type who would keep his end of the deal for long."  
  
"He won't. But for now." Crais shrugged, his lips meeting Morgan's. She laid her hands on his chest, and then her head, closing her eyes as he held her. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, how to protect you." He stroked her hair, wondering when he had let his guard down enough to fall in love. "I am afraid they may have gotten the information they wanted."  
  
Morgan looked up at him. "And now they will be looking for me as well."  
  
Crais' eyes grew dark. "Yes."  
  
She nodded, reaching up to cup his face in her hand. "Let them look. I suppose we'll deal with it when the time comes."  
  
Crais took her wrist in his hand, kissing her palm. "And in the meantime?"  
  
Morgan blushed. She could feel his heart beating against her other hand. "You finish teaching me how to work with Talyn," she whispered.  
  
Crais laughed. "I don't think I can show you anything else. You have learned Talyn's systems faster than I expected. Your cousin has been singing your praises since we came back." His face sobered slightly. "Morgan, I hope you meant what you told Talyn."  
  
She looked at him confused. "About what?"  
  
"About staying with us."  
  
She nodded. "I knew I would never go back to Earth. There's nothing left there except a family that is now grieving for two lost loved ones. And Uncle Jack knew." Morgan sighed, slipping out of Crais' arms and moving to stare out the view port. "I have always been close with John and finding him still alive has given me a new outlook." She smiled back at Crais. "Besides, I like to explore. And there's the whole Uncharted Territories for me to play in." Crais stepped up behind her, laying his hands on her shoulders. "I'd never have taken the transponder if I hadn't planned on staying."  
  
"I would not let you go anyway," he commented, kissing Morgan's neck. He pulled her against him, his hands sliding down her arms to rest on her hips. "I tend to get what I go after," he remarked, his hand slowly moving up from her waist, caressing her through her shirt.  
  
"So I noticed," Morgan whispered, her back arching at his touch.  
  
"Oh, you have not seen just how determined I can be," he answered, his lips against her neck.  
  
Morgan smiled, closing her eyes and leaning her head back on Crais' shoulder. "Really? Sounds like someone else I know."  
  
Crais turned her around. "I hope you not referring to your cousin."  
  
Morgan's smile grew and she put her hands on his shoulders, hopping up into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. "No, Bialar. I'm talking about myself," she answered, passionately kissing him. Her movement caused Crais to lose his footing and the two of them fell backwards onto his bed. Morgan ran her nails down his bare chest. "You Sebacean's don't give us humans half the credit we deserve," she commented as she popped the button on his pants. "As a matter of fact, you think we're all rather stupid."  
  
"I never said or insinuated such a thing," Crais objected, trying to sit up.  
  
Morgan pushed him back on the bed, leaning over him. "I wasn't talking about you, in particular." She kissed him again, this time dragging her lips down his chest. Crais moaned and Morgan smiled. "But, you see, we can be very bright when we want to be."  
  
"Morgan," Crais warned, his voice husky.  
  
She sat up, stopping when her lips reached the top of his trousers. "You just can't handle not being in control, can you?" she whispered, slowly unbuttoning her shirt. Crais tried to sit up again and she pushed him back on the bed.  
  
"Morgan." Crais said again through clenched teeth. The smug smile on her face was infuriating him.  
  
"Can't you just sit back and enjoy letting someone else take the initiative for a change?" she asked her hand slipping beneath his waistband.  
  
"You will be the death of me, woman," he moaned, closing his eyes.  
  
"Then you'll die happy," Morgan responded.  
  
  
  
Crais never expected Morgan to be as passionate a lover as she was. She surprised him in every way, and in a few new ways. He gazed down at her sleeping face, her body curled up against his, her back to his front. She looked so young and innocent. Crais leaned his head on his hand, running his finger down the curve of her neck to trace the small dragon tattoo on her shoulder. "Yes, Talyn. She is constantly surprising me as well," he said softly.  
  
"Good. Someone needs to keep the two of you on your toes," Morgan mumbled quietly. She turned towards Crais. "Especially you." He smiled softly at her, the smile reflected in his eyes. "Wow. Here's a side of you not many people have ever seen."  
  
Crais kissed her. "And only you will ever see it," he answered. He sighed. "And you were right. I cannot handle not being in control. The last few cycles have been hard for that reason."  
  
"You didn't have anything to work for," Morgan replied. She matched his position, turning to face him, their eyes meeting. "When Crichton disappeared, I was lost. He was the only member of my family that ever understood me. John and I could talk to each other and not have to worry about explaining what we were saying to someone." She smiled wistfully. "And then when my parents were killed, I sunk about as low as I could get. Uncle Jack was afraid I'd never snap out of it."  
  
"So he suggested building another module and trying to determine what happened to Crichton," Crais finished.  
  
Morgan nodded. "I had a goal, a purpose, a direction in my life." She laughed softly. "That direction in my life led me here."  
  
"Tell me about them," he said, reaching out to stroke the line of her jaw with his finger.  
  
"My parents?" Crais nodded. "Well, Dad was from a country called England. He was a scientist, a genetics engineer. Mom was a computer engineer." She chuckled, laying her head on her arm. "There was a joke in our community that if the Langtree's couldn't fix it or solve it, then it didn't need to be fixed or solved." Her smile faded a bit. "They were always busy, and yet they always found time to spend with me. I knew what I wanted to be by the time I was 10." She shrugged. "I guess I got my sense of self and direction from them."  
  
Crais gazed at her. "The memories of my parents have faded. Tauvo and I were young when the Peacekeepers conscripted us. We were lucky we were allowed to stay together." He pushed the memories away. "And now what direction do you have? Now that you completed your mission?"  
  
Morgan smiled. "To explore. And to get to know how to control Talyn with the man I have fallen head over heels in love with."  
  
Crais found her smile infectious. "It won't be easy. I made the mistake of trying to control him by myself, with mixed results."  
  
"Well, now you don't have to worry about it, Captain Crais."  
  
Crais kissed Morgan. "No. Now I just I have to figure out how to deal with both of you."  
  
Copyright 2001 Beth A. Carpenter 


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue  
  
Aeryn and Morgan slipped onto Talyn's bridge silently, listening as human and Sebacean argued. The two women shook their heads. They were beginning to think that Crichton and Crais were not happy unless they were bickering. Morgan leaned against one side of the bridge doors, Aeryn against the other, both wearing pulse pistols and amused looks, looking like a pair of matched bookends.  
  
"Crais, this is not going to work. Talyn will blow the circuits the first time he starbursts." Crichton crawled out from under the weapons array panel. "I hate to tell you this, man, but his electrical system sucks."  
  
Crais stopped his pacing to glare at Crichton who was still sitting on Talyn's deck. He resumed, one hand behind his back, using the other to emphasize his words. "A design flaw and not something that can be easily replaced or fixed."  
  
Crichton stood up. "Yeah, well, the next time you mastermind one of these, put in a better system."  
  
Crais glared at Crichton. A small bruise on his cheekbone was all that remained to remind him of his capture by the Scarrens. "Do you have any idea what goes into planning a hybrid?" He began pacing again, ticking items off on his fingers. "You must account for control systems, guidance systems."  
  
Morgan rolled her eyes and sighed, crossing her arms. She had had this conversation with Crais more times over the last two weeks than she cared for. "Weapons, size and amount of living space, compatibility with the added components, whether the Leviathan pod will even accept the packets, so on, et cetera, blah, blah, blah!" Morgan butted in.  
  
Both men turned and looked at her. Aeryn didn't try to hide her smile at the sheepish looks Crais and Crichton wore. "Somehow I don't think there will be another gunship like Talyn." Morgan approached Crais. "While you and my cousin were kvetching at each other, Talyn picked up another Leviathan signal."  
  
"Moya?" Crichton asked.  
  
"He thinks so." Aeryn noticed the unusual look that passed over Crais' face as Morgan slipped by him, his eyes the only thing not hardening back into the usual Peacekeeper expression he wore. "I believe that's what Morgan and Talyn are currently trying to determine."  
  
"Yes, well." Crais commented awkwardly. He stepped up behind Morgan. "Anything yet?"  
  
She peered at him over her shoulder. "You tell me." She chuckled. "You'll know the same time I will."  
  
  
  
The Leviathan signal was Moya, mother and son reuniting over a small commerce planet. Crichton walked off the transport pod, having taken the Farscape back to Moya earlier. He ran his fingers through his hair as he gazed at Morgan. She leaned against one of the remaining containers, ankles crossed, her hands on the edge of the box. "Well, that's the last of it." He paused. "Morgan, are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
Morgan smiled and nodded. "Yeah John. My place is here." She pointed to the back of her neck, shrugging as she walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.  
  
"I still don't trust him," Crichton whispered. He held Morgan tight. "Just be careful."  
  
"I will." They parted as Crais and Aeryn walked in. "So, in six months, we'll meet on Terantic?"  
  
Crichton nodded, wrapping his arm around Aeryn. The two women had said their goodbyes earlier. "Yeah." He looked at Crais. "You better take care of her."  
  
Crais smiled softly. "I will. Good health to both of you." He followed Morgan back to Talyn's bridge, watching as the transport pod carrying Crichton and Aeryn made its way back to Moya. He laid his hands on her shoulders. "Where do you want go?" he asked quietly as Moya starburst.  
  
Morgan bit her lower lip, knowing that her life had changed forever. She leaned back against Crais. "Surprise me," she answered.  
  
  
  
Crichton stood in Moya's kitchen, looking out the viewport at the stars, a cup of coffee in his hand. He leaned his arm on his knee, wondering where Morgan and Crais had gone to.  
  
"John?" D'Argo stepped up behind him, the Luxan warrior waiting.  
  
"He better take care of her, D'Argo. If he doesn't." He didn't finish the comment, sipping his coffee instead.  
  
"Aeryn told me what Morgan did." He leaned against the bulkhead. "I am sure she will be fine."  
  
Crichton looked up at D'Argo. "If they don't manage to kill each other."  
  
The Luxan laughed. "Why do I have the feeling Morgan would win that fight?"  
  
  
  
Talyn wasn't long behind his mother in starbursting, setting off for a planet two sectors away. The Scarren dreadnaught appeared from behind the commerce planet. "Did you get their destination?" the Scarren captain asked.  
  
"Yes." The second-in-command looked at him. "Do you wish us to follow?"  
  
The Scarren held a data chip in its hand, turning it, smiling as the lights of the dreadnaught's bridge glinted off the chip. "Yes. The information transmitted to us that was obtained from Crais is incomplete."  
  
The dreadnaught moved further from the planet, following the hybrid gunship, it's crew taking care not be discovered until it was too late..  
  
(And the adventure continues...)  
  
Copyright 2001 Beth A. Carpenter 


End file.
